


Recovery, Devious Plots, and Concerns

by Galdr



Series: Tales of the Mystery Dungeons AU [9]
Category: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Gen, there's some Gen VIII Pokemon here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:27:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21560068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galdr/pseuds/Galdr
Summary: Flynn wakes up in a safe place, needing to rest from his injuries. Meanwhile, a sneaky Pokemon discovers Yuri's identity and plots with another... while Lucario and his gang are at the end of Mt. Horn dungeon, soon to prepare for the next leg of their journey to Spacial Rift, Palkia's domain.Things are getting a bit interesting...
Series: Tales of the Mystery Dungeons AU [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1379689
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	Recovery, Devious Plots, and Concerns

**Author's Note:**

> This is an easy chapter, no (cringy) fights. Yet, at least.
> 
> I added a couple Gen 8 Pokemon, and there'll be another. I won't put all of them in due to not wanting to spoil those who haven't played Sword/Shield. And I blame Three Houses, Pokemon Sword and Dragon Quest IV for distracting me for so long, lol. Hopefully it won't take me too long to post the next one. Posting this nearly at 7am while typing it literally all night long with zero sleep. How fun... 
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

Flynn’s in danger.

Flynn’s in danger!

**_Flynn’s in danger!_ **

Partner is in danger. _Help him_.

Hurt. Friend is hurt. _Help him!_

Danger. Danger too close. Too close to Friend. _Destroy it_.

Fury. Anger. Hate. Fuel for power.

Run. _Save Friend. Save Flynn._

Defend. Defend. Defend. Kick. Punch. Kick. _Kick **harder**_ **.**

Injury. Hurt. So much hurt. Ignore. Fight. Fight. _Fight_.

Power through fist. Build up. Force it through. Force it through the palm. **_Expel it._**

Hit! Enemy is down. Pounce. Don’t let escape. Kill it- kill- kill- **_kill- KILL._**

“…op!”

Voice. Too quiet. Indistinguishable. Enemy down. Kill. Thrash. Destroy. Revenge for Friend. **_Revenge for Flynn!_**

“Y—! St…!”

Power. Too much. Too much. Emotion. Power everywhere. _Help, help, help_. Too much power!

Too much- _Too much-_ **Too much- _TOO MUCH—!_**

“ _YURI!_ ”

Hurts. Hurts. Everything hurts. _Hurts- **HURTS—!**_

Burning. Throat burning—! Hurts- hurts- hurts! Body hurts! Why, why, _why does it hurt so much!?_ Stop it, stop it, _stop it!_

* * *

_..._

* * *

A blurred image of white greeted Flynn when he woke up next. Everything was a haze for him. He couldn’t remember where he was or where he’d gone last. What he did know, was once his eyes adjusted and became clearer, his entire body felt incredibly stiff, as if he’d just jogged a marathon and decided to hike up Mt. Bristle’s exterior at the same time, then crashed. Such a vivid imagery sent chills down his spine; perhaps it was for the best he avoided those sort of thoughts and focus on the now.

He couldn’t move, for one. His arms were like logs, he couldn’t feel his tail _at all_ , and he could barely twitch his ears. Even attempting to move was a terrible notion as his muscles failed to respond. Arceus, what had happened? Where was he? Why was he in so much pain? Adding to that, his throat felt really dry and scratchy. He could honestly go for some water right about now. If he could only wiggle his toes and try to move, he would be able to get up—or try to at least.

_“Oh dear, you ought to not try that.”_

Wait, huh?

Startled by the voice reaching him by telepathy, Flynn tried to look around for the one responsible. However, since he couldn’t move anything other than his ears—barely—he was severely limited in searching with sight alone. Who could that be?

“Wh-who?” He tried to ask, but it came out as a dry, hoarse and breathless whisper. Flynn wished he could move—he felt incredibly helpless and vulnerable, two things an enemy could easily take advantage of should they so choose. From the simple exertion of using his voice, he wheezed and coughed.

 _“Oh dear.”_ The voice intoned again. Soon, there was the sound of the door opening, but since Flynn couldn’t move, he couldn’t see who it was. Who was it? Was it actually an enemy? Flynn’s body, while it was still stiff, did tense at the thought of being under attack. Willpower alone, he summoned up the tiniest sparks he could produce. Should this enemy Pokémon try to hurt him, he’d at least do _something_ as payback. He wouldn’t go out without some fight in him!

“Please calm down. I’m not here to hurt you, Pikachu sir,” the voice of the Pokémon, female’s now that he heard it clearer and not using telepathy, replied in kind to his hostile approach. The footsteps coming closer were light and soon entering the Electric-type’s vision was a Clefable. Slightly dumbfounded, Flynn ceased his hostility, curiously watching the Fairy-type. Huh? How did she use telepathy? Did she know where he was? Was she actually friendly? Almost as if sensing his questions, Clefable smiled a fair bit.

“I’m glad you’re awake,” she said first, “You were roughed up pretty badly when they found you. Also out for a day, too”

Huh? He was out for a day? And what was this about being found? He was hurt? How did that happen?

“If you’re wondering, you’re in Capim Town,” Clefable continued, “Team Tasty were the ones who found you in the Oran Forest dungeon upon following up on a rescue mission to save a young Pachirisu child.”

 _Team Tasty_ … It was familiar to Flynn. His addled brain was slow to process this for some reason… until it clicked. Team Tasty were an Exploration Team composed of a Swellow and Wurmple as teammates.

Just as the information about those two Pokémon came to him, so did other information.

Oran Forest, the Pachirisu child, the bullies, the fight… _Yuri!_

“Ah… Yu…Yuri…” Flynn groaned, trying his hardest to move and get up. That’s right--! He and Yuri were on their way to Capim Town, the very town he was in now, to see if anyone knew about him! Then, they encountered those bullies. They were incredibly strong and he had nearly fainted. Or, had he? He couldn’t remember much— _except_ …

 _Yuri had gone berserk_.

Frowning, Clefable quickly and gently pushed him back down on the bed of hay, preventing the Pikachu from moving. “You’re still hurt,” she said and began to glow. Few rings of energy left her and flew towards Flynn, the Heal Pulse technique soothing his aches for the time being.

“I… My… my friend…” Flynn tried, still insistent. He had to get to Yuri! Where was he anyway? Had Team Tasty rescued him as well?

“Your friend? The Riolu, correct?” At Flynn’s barely visible nod, the Fairy-type continued, “He’s resting in the other room adjacent to yours. Team Tasty rescued all three of you and had the two Brutal Bang Gang members arrested by Officer Magnezone.” A sigh of relief left Flynn’s lips as Clefable didn’t stop there, “He wasn’t as hurt as you were, not physically at least. However…”

Uh-oh, that didn’t sound very good. “‘However’…?” Flynn pressed, coughing as punishment for the use of his throat again. The frown that returned on Clefable’s face _wasn’t_ reassuring whatsoever.

“Your friend’s mental state suffered tremendously from the overabundance of the Awakening power he used.” Awakening? Flynn wasn’t clueless about it, but he was sure he hadn’t mentioned that yet to Yuri at all. Unless he had? Still, that sort of power was only usable when one had a Looplet around their arm or foreleg. They were also very rare to come by in dungeons, so how…?

“According to Team Tasty, your friend had found the Emera in question and shattered it in his hands. He had defeated one of the gang members, Rhydon, with several uses of the Force Palm technique… and oddly, Aura Sphere as well. I reckon the use of the Aura Sphere had been too much for him, combined with the aura of the Awakening power surging through him all at once.”

Flynn was rightly horrified and worried. Where had Yuri gotten the Awakening Emera in the first place? They hadn’t encountered that at all throughout Oran Forest, so…

“Is… he okay…?” Flynn asked. He _really_ wanted to go see Yuri now. He needed… He needed to _see_ him, to prove that he’s still alive and breathing.

“Physically, he’s alright. Some scrapes and bruising that will heal. As I said, it’s his mental state that was heavily afflicted. The power had turned him into a Feral Pokémon, the ones you see in dungeons. Had it not been the Pachirisu child, he would not be here now.”

Flynn made a mental note to find the Pachirisu and Team Tasty and thank them later. “Gardevoir, a friend of mine, is checking on him as we speak, to ensure he recovers from the incident. You, on the other hand, need at least three days’ worth of rest! As long as you’re under my care, you _will_ rest. I’ve made preparations and arrangements for the both of you to stay as long as necessary.”

Well, he couldn’t say “no” to this offer. It wasn’t like he _could_ at any rate. He was stuck to this bed for three more days.

“Ah yes! I almost nearly forgot! My name’s Clefable. I’m a doctor in Capim Town, yes, you heard me speak to you earlier using my limited psychic abilities, and Gardevoir, my friend, is also my assistant. You’ll see her floating around in here to check on you sooner or later.” The Fairy-type smiled, happy to see that things were going well, so far for the most part. “As stated before, you’re in Capim Town, in my home-slash-office. And your name?”

“…Flynn,” he answered with a weak smile of his own. Getting worked up had already tuckered him out.

“Flynn, a good name. And I assume the Riolu’s name is ‘Yuri’ that you mentioned?”

“Yes… Ma’am.”

“Alright, well you get some rest now, Flynn. No doubt the excitement got you riled up. I’ll have your meal prepared in a short while. Though you’re naturally immune to the Paralysis status, your body’s undergone a shock of its own from the beating you took. It needs time to heal,” Clefable explained, clearing up Flynn’s curiosity about his injuries, “Not only that, but your throat needs to heal as well. Taking a Throat Chop directly is definitely damaging—a nice, hot Sitrus Berry soup ought to clear that up quickly.”

At the thought of the soup, his stomach rumbled and Clefable chuckled lightly as Flynn slightly blushed in embarrassment.

“I suppose you can’t wait any longer. I’ll go fix it up in a jiffy.”

Clefable’s soft padding left the room, leaving Flynn alone to contend with his thoughts. They were in Capim Town, but not exactly how he had in mind getting there. They were _alive_ and safe, thanks to Team Tasty. He really wanted to get up from here and thank them and Pachirisu—but he was stuck bedridden for a while. He also wanted to go see Yuri, but he’d had to wait for that, too.

Thinking about the Riolu placed Flynn’s good thoughts back south. Using an Emera power without a Looplet ought to have broken the Emera, but its use would be immediate, such as some used would boost a Pokémon’s strength just by smashing it. _‘Then, how is that possible?’_ Flynn thought, _‘And he isn’t evolved, so it couldn’t have been a Mega Evolution.’_ Another explanation he’d have to give Yuri at some point, he figured, but that was later— _much_ later.

Could it be possible the Emera being broken and used in such a way was because Yuri was originally human? Did it react to him because of that? It was just way too strange. The Emera’s power was only used as a power-up for Pokémon, like a super boost to their abilities and techniques. For certain species of Pokémon, it gave them the ability to ascend to a higher evolution for a brief period of time, coined as “Mega Evolution” in the ancient texts left behind by humans. As for the vast majority, they were powered up to their highest capacity.

Was it possible that humans could attain something just _as_ high as the ascended Mega Evolution? Though his form changed, Yuri’s blood was still _human_ , right? His psyche, his mentality, all of that was human apparently. Were they really that different?

Odd…

Stomach rumbling again, Flynn’s thoughts ran into ideas of food and what to eat, slightly erasing what’d been the plain topic at hand. _‘I suppose I’ll think on it later,’_ he noted to himself and closed his eyes to rest. Worrying about it now wouldn’t help him, that was for sure. Plus, Clefable was going to make him Sitrus Berry soup; he ought to be excited for that.

_‘But am I really? I hope Yuri wakes and gets some, too.’_

* * *

_x_

* * *

An hour after serving the young Pikachu his soup and ensuring he was comfortable for rest, Clefable entered the adjacent room after his, cautiously approaching her assistant as she continued to use her psychic powers on the Riolu. Gardevoir was cast in a faint light, illuminated by the quarter moon outside the window and her own aura. Sensing her mentor and friend, she ceased and glanced in Clefable’s direction.

Clefable walked closer until she was right next to her friend, “How is he, Gardevoir?”

“He’s stable,” she replied. “It’s strange. He calmed down as soon as the Pikachu had been comfortable and then fell into a deep sleep. It’s true his emotions are deeply tied to his friend’s.”

“I see. What about the Awakening power? Did it affect anything else?”

“Only his memory, strangely, and something else, too. It certainly increased his power like it does for most of us that don’t have any ascended forms, but…” Gardevoir trailed, garnering Clefable’s attention, “I’m unsure how to explain it. There’s—there’s _something_ inside the Riolu that’s generating a strange power. Not only that, but the memory I was able to glance at…”

The cliffhanger had Clefable grabbing for more, “And? What was it? Was it something that would hurt the kid? Tell me, Gardevoir.”

A long pause afterwards gave the pink Fairy-type the chills. She _hoped_ it wasn’t a bad feeling and that it was just her imagination. Gardevoir rarely gave her bad news when it came to their patients, so for her to look so glum and worried greatly concerned Clefable. Pressing, she added, “Come on, don’t hide it from me.”

“It’s just… I thought the world was at peace now, given that the four, major incidents to the Pokémon World were resolved,” Gardevoir began.

“Well, it is. Far more peaceful than the old times, that’s for sure.”

“Yes, I agree. And yet, I can’t help but feel we might be under yet another crisis…”

Curious eating her, and still yet to hear the _exact_ reason why Gardevoir seemed so antsy and worried, Clefable pressed yet again but more firmly this time. “Tell me.” Her assistant wasn’t going anywhere until she got the answers out of her. This was one of their patients—the doctor-patient confidence were already in place.

“He’s human, Clefable.”

Ah, that was it? Well, why didn’t she say so from the beginning? It’d have saved all the drama and cliffhanging—

Wait… _what!?_

“Did you _just_ say ‘he’s human’?” Clefable parroted _very_ slowly, for extra measure, addled mind unable to function correctly for a second.

“Yes.”

“Come again?”

“ _Yes_ , Clefable.”

“Okay. That’s what I thought you said.”

Gardevoir simply stared at her mentor as she stood there frozen for a long minute. She began to worry when Clefable didn’t move after the second minute passed, going onto its third. When nothing happened after the fifth minute was creeping by, Gardevoir reached a hand over to shake Clefable when the pure Fairy-type returned back to life.

“Holy moly! A human! We haven’t seen or heard of those in over fifteen or so years!” Clefable exclaimed, “All the stories of them being turned into Pokémon to assist us must be true after all. Wow! A living legend in the making, right here in my home! His mission must be important if he’s here, then.” Then, she frowned, crossing her arms in confusion, “What sort of crisis are we going to have this time? There doesn’t seem to be anything alert happening…”

“True. Or, there is one impending and none of us know of its origins…” Gardevoir agreed, “Perhaps only the Legendary and Mythical Pokémon know and we were sent a human to assist us in the near future and likely transformed him.”

“Right… And if there’s something bad that’ll happen, then some _thing_ will likely come to harm him and try to stop him from succeeding! Gardevoir, if this is true, then we have to protect him!”

Clefable was getting fired up for this, Gardevoir noted. They weren’t even certain if this was all true or not. Having a human sent to the Pokémon World definitely _was_ a sign that _something_ would occur that would negatively impact the world if the problem, whatever it could be, continued on its course without someone to stop it. But what force could overtake them now? They were Pokémon; they were strong all on their own. Of course, the last four crises involved human-turned-Pokémon to assist and stop world destruction.

But now? What could possible happen now? Surely, after enduring four world-ending situations, Pokémon themselves could handle the situation far more easily. They wouldn’t need the intervention of a human. Right?

“Clefable, calm down. We don’t know this,” Gardevoir replied, nearly repeating her own thoughts moments ago, “If that _is_ true, then yes, we’ll definitely need to protect him until he’s strong enough to handle the issue. But that’s only if we figure out the problem itself. There’s no use speculating without proper proof.”

Right, that was true.

Sighing, Clefable rubbed her temple, “You’re right. I got too excited. Just… imagine us finding another legendary human hero! Since we’re so involved, we might be able to help him on his journey to take down that evil he’s supposed to destroy!”

Good grief…

“That’s not how this works, Clefable…” Gardevoir said but she knew it fell on deaf ears. The Fairy-type was going on a tangent now and was now wandering around the room, chatting about the whole situation. Sure, Clefable was one of those “dreamer” kinds, but she was a doctor first and foremost. Gardevoir honestly appreciated her, especially since she became a good friend and offered her a job as an assistant. But becoming aligned with a hero? That seemed so farfetched, no offense to any Farfetch’d, of course.

She wondered just what was inside this Riolu that generated that power. It didn’t seem malicious at all; actually, it was benign, so it wouldn’t hurt him on its own. But, it also appeared to have been amplified by the power of the Awakening Emera, too. He didn’t have a Looplet on him—not a working one, if the band around his left arm was any indication. It was certainly an odd looking Looplet. In fact, the Pikachu had one, too. Perhaps these were different kinds of Looplets? There were already some kind of Emeras attached to them.

Strange. Emeras usually shattered outside of the mystery dungeons for mysterious reasons unknown to Pokémon. Were these special kinds, then? How curious.

“Clefable,” Gardevoir called to her mentor, who paused in her five minute long rambling, “We ought to give him some rest, too. No doubt our presence is disturbing him.”

“Hm? Ah right, good idea! We should. I did forget young Riolu are capable of sensing emotion, even when sleep.” She turned and began to head out the room, followed by Gardevoir. The latter stood outside the doorway and glanced back at the Riolu and sighed.

“I only wish to understand… _how_ you transformed,” she murmured, mostly to herself, “That image I saw… It was so strange… yet I _knew_ it had to be a human. A real human…”

She never seen one before, but for some reason, she had an odd sensation that, once upon a time, she _had_. That she had a human friend—but maybe she was mistaken. Humans and Pokémon perhaps had, at one point, coexisted together in the far, distant past. Or, perhaps, in another world entirely. That’s what the legends and ancient texts suggest after all, and records of humans and their presence were all around them. Their architecture, their leftover records, their left behind items… All for curious Pokémon to poke around with and use.

Wouldn’t it be great to learn more about them? Perhaps this Riolu would be the one to share the information with them? Would he be willing to once he was awaken? What sort of mission was he sent he for? So many questions she had and yet none would be answered tonight. No—she’d be patient and wait.

For now, she closed the door softly and walked after Clefable, who was working on the soup dinner.

Unbeknown to Gardevoir, however, there had been a sneaky listener—one who hadn’t meant to really eavesdrop but did anyhow. Their casual stroll through town late at night seemed to be a success for “juicy info”, something his boss would _love_ to get his hands on! If it was true, then there was a real, living human lying in the bed inside Doctor Clefable’s home. Quickly as he could, the sneaky, little Pokémon rushed off, intent to getting back to the nearby forest and telling his boss the good news!

…Of course, everything would’ve gone to plan if he hadn’t bumped into another Pokémon in the way!

“Hey, Impidimp, watch where you’re goin’, mate!” The Pokémon he bumped into said, sounding a bit irritated but not upset. Impidimp, the first Pokémon, rubbed his head and blinked wide-eyed as he stared at the other Pokémon.

“Morgrem!” Impidimp exclaimed in surprise. “Wasn’ expectin’ to see ya here!”

“Same with you, mate,” Morgrem replied, arms crossed as he examined Impidimp closer, “Now, what’re ya doin’ ‘round here this late anyway? We normally don’t come ‘round these parts ‘cus of the officers…”

“I-I know!” the smaller pink Pokémon squealed, “But listen to this, Morgrem. There’s a human here in this ole town! Dr. ‘Fable’s holin’ one up in ‘er place! The Boss’ll wanna get on that, don’tcha think!?”

Morgrem’s eyes widened at the news. A human? Those creatures haven’t ever been seen _ever_ in a long time. And even then, they’d supposedly been turned into Pokémon by mysterious forces when they journeyed into the Pokémon World. So, was it possible one of them didn’t transform strangely?! If it was, then maybe the Boss’ dream of getting super strong wouldn’t seem so far away. Humans were supposed to be one of the best creatures that used empathy naturally, other than most Psychic-types. They were said to bring out the best in their Pokémon partners. If true, then this human could help the Boss become the strongest Pokémon in the entire world!

“Fer sure, Impidimp! This’ll definitely make the Boss’ day. ‘Course, it isn’t what he was lookin’ for, but a human is much more valuable than lookin’ for Violent Seeds every day, eh?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah! How about we go steal that human now and—”

“Wait a sec. We should be careful now. Are you sure that it’s a real human?”

Impidimp’s excited demeanor slowly deflated when asked. “Uh… Um… no?” Seeing Morgrem’s eye twitch, he quickly amended, “But I _heard_ he was one! He was changed into a Pokémon, apparently! And somethin’ about usin’ this Awakening power Emera had made him super strong!”

Awakening Emeras were already super rare to find them in dungeons. Was this perhaps a skill this human-turned-Pokémon had? Could he easily detect them? If so, that was even better.

Yes! They definitely needed to herd this human to the Boss.

“Alright, alright, Impidimp. Now listen, here’s what we’ll do…”

* * *

_At Mt. Horn's base..._

* * *

“Okay team, let’s stop here for the night and camp!”

Lucario turned to his three teammates as he undid his pack to begin setting up his tent. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied Darkrai and Cresselia doing likewise. He turned his attention to Lycanroc, who had opted to dig quickly to help build a fire pit. Smart thinking, considering they’d need a fire going soon to keep warm. To be honest, he wasn’t sure _how_ he got roped into going along—oh, right. He was too darn impatient to sit on his bum and do nothing.

Yes, Sylveon had a point about the construction work and the project, but how were they supposed to build their guild and the new town when someone needed help? Their guild was to aim to help others just like others out there. Why turn down the first offer of help? He just didn’t get it! Of course, Sylveon hadn’t outright turned Lycanroc away because, deep down, Lucario knew she wanted to help.

That’s why he was here instead—to help Lycanroc for the both of them. Cresselia and Darkrai came along for further assistance. Palkia’s home turf, Spacial Rift, was still a long way to go from where they were currently, which was the end of the Mt. Horn dungeon. It wasn’t that tough considering they were all considerably stronger than the feral, hostile Pokémon living there. Not only that, but Lycanroc’s easy time with sensing the way, just like Sylveon, helped them avoid many, unnecessary battles.

Once he finished setting the tent, Lucario was about to go announce that he’d go get some firewood, but it appeared Darkrai had already left to do so. Cresselia was using her psychic powers to find foodstuffs for them to eat for dinner and Lycanroc had finished digging the pile to sit at the edge of the campsite. Concerned, Lucario walked towards him and sat down.

“Want to talk about anything?” Lucario asked, knowing he might not get an answer. Lycanroc wasn’t exactly the chatty type. He seemed like the quiet kind, who only talks when addressed or need to, otherwise they’d stay silent. To be fair, Team Vritra’s second-in-command wouldn’t have taken it hard if Lycanroc didn’t reply. There seemed to be a lot of things going on in the Rock-type’s mind; Lucario could sense Lycanroc’s unease and restlessness. Perhaps, the very thought of his friends being lost in this world, alone and uncertain, had him worried.

If they were humans still, there’d have long since been word of real humans being spotted and likely hunted down. So, there was a high chance that they may have been turned into Pokémon like Sylveon. Likely not the same way she had, but there may have been a similar method. Or, if they were very crafty humans as Lycanroc seemed to suggest, they could be hiding anywhere and waiting to make some kind of escape back to their world.

Still, the very thought of meeting real live humans after Sylveon was thrilling—but first and foremost, he had to make sure they were okay.

“Nothing in particular,” Lycanroc replied, spurring Lucario out of his thoughts, “I am calming down, I suppose you can say.”

“You’re worried for them.”

“Yes. I did forget your species can easily sense emotions easier than most.”

“Sorry about that. I can stop if you would like me to…“

Lycanroc shook his head. “Don’t. It’s part of you and your abilities. You shouldn’t want to try and stop your own powers, or to think they’ll become cumbersome. They’re yours and they’ll be helpful to everyone.” Suddenly, the Rock-type looked grim and bowed his head, “Don’t shun your powers, Lucario.”

“I won’t…” That was odd. Lucario sensed that Lycanroc was speaking through a bit of experience. Had he encountered someone who had said similar? It was true—his Aura abilities allowed him to read emotions and such much easier than when he was a Riolu. Although, at times, he felt it might’ve gotten out of hand when he kept reading others’ minds without trying or knowing what they’re feeling before they get a chance to speak. This was especially so when he had first evolved…

So, maybe… maybe Lycanroc had…?

“Did someone you know have a problem like that?” Lucario asked without really thinking, gaining Lycanroc’s attention, “You know, with their powers? I used to have trouble with mine and I did think they were bothersome to others when I first learned to use them, and even now… I sometimes hold back on using my Aura on others because, I guess I don’t want to seem annoying. Or even a burden.”

Lucario looked away at the last point, not seeing how Lycanroc’s jaw had set in a deeper frown. He’d heard similar words before…

“Your powers aren’t a burden,” he told Lucario, “You aren’t a burden. Your friends would all tell you otherwise, I’m certain. As I said, your powers are part of you, an extension of yourself. Learning to control them is essential. That way, you can help more Pokémon out there that need them.” Lycanroc sighed and glanced skyward with his good, single eye, “Yes, I have a friend that believed she was a burden, too. That her powers were bad because they didn’t save someone, only hurt them.”

He lowered his head somberly, “And then…” Lycanroc closed his eyes and shook his head, “It’s in the past now. All that can be done is to ensure my friends are alive and well. And, we’ll work on returning to our world from there.” Sitting up, he turned to Lucario, “I will scout the area.” The Rock-type padded off afterwards, leaving Lucario sitting alone and confused a little. He didn’t get a chance to ask who that friend had been, but maybe it was for the best.

“Maybe he’ll talk more later,” Lucario said, feeling bad he might have brought up something bad for Lycanroc, likely a terrible memory. He eventually stood as well to assist in the rest of setting up camp; Darkrai had already taken care of the fire while Cresselia was making the dinner.

“…You scared him off, Lucario,” the Psychic-type chided him as he returned back to the campsite.

“I did not,” Lucario defended himself, “I just… maybe asked something too personal.”

Darkrai shook his head and sighed, “That seems quite typical of you, though.”

“And what’s _that_ supposed to mean?!”

“Exactly what it says on the tin.”

“ _Hey_!”

Sensing a verbal fight soon, Cresselia quickly intervened, “Settle down, you two. There’s no need to bicker. Lucario, you’re our second-in-command, please remember that. Darkrai, we both ought to mind ourselves.” Lucario and Darkrai huffed but obeyed, namely because Cresselia was pretty scary when upset. It wasn’t that he and Darkrai didn’t get along—actually the opposite, but sometimes when Sylveon wasn’t there acting as a natural mediator, Lucario and Darkrai would bicker at times, sadly like children.

It was only a wonder the Mythical and Aura Pokémon were even breathing in the same place. They were great in combat together, but sucked when it came to partnership in conversations. Once several minutes passed, dinner was cooking and nearly ready, however Lycanroc failed to show up. Believing Lucario would screw it up again, Darkrai took it upon himself to search for their wayward escort.

It took a moment to find the familiar dark blue fur of the Rock-type, who lied down upon a rock close by a flowing river that led towards the Foggy Forest dungeon. Finding him in the darkness was easy considering the Mythical Pokémon was a Dark-type himself. Slowly approaching by levitation, Darkrai hovered a respectable distance away before announcing himself.

“…Dinner is ready, Lycanroc.”

“I’m aware. Thank you, I’ll be there shortly.”

Task done, Darkrai turned around and made his way back to the campsite as Lycanroc rose from his resting spot. _‘Flynn, Yuri. I’ll find the both of you soon, I promise,’_ he thought to himself, closing his good eye. He _had_ to find them—there was no way he would leave this world without them, the two that had looked for him in his own youth. Though Yuri had raised him mostly, Flynn was also a good, trusted friend as well. He also took care of him when he could, even if his time away from them had increased. Flynn _always_ made time to check on them and have short meals together.

All that mattered was that the three of them would reunite and leave this world—back to their own, and finish their journey.


End file.
